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Following UFC 182, Donald Cerrone vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov the Fight to Make

Donald Cerrone is clearly on a tear within the Ultimate Fighting Championship. At UFC 182, he dominated Myles Jury to earn his sixth straight win, dating back to UFC 167 in 2013. With this win, Cerrone has entered a peculiar place where he’s a major dr…

Donald Cerrone is clearly on a tear within the Ultimate Fighting Championship. At UFC 182, he dominated Myles Jury to earn his sixth straight win, dating back to UFC 167 in 2013. With this win, Cerrone has entered a peculiar place where he’s a major draw within the division but just outside the place to demand a title shot. With that in mind, the UFC matchmakers should place him against Khabib Nurmagomedov, with the winner getting the next shot at the title.

Donald Cerrone is one of the most active athletes on the UFC’s roster. His fight on Saturday was his 16th fight since moving to the UFC in 2011. He has put together a very impressive 13-3 record during that run.

Unfortunately for Cerrone, two of those loses come to current lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and recently tapped Rafael dos Anjos, who will fight Pettis at UFC 185 in March (via Sherdog). With that fight being set up, Cerrone now has the opportunity to wait for Nurmagomedov or stay active, which he is prone to doing.

During the post-fight press conference, Cerrone mentioned that he would like to fight at the UFC event planned for Denver, Colorado on February 14.

“Denver, Colorado in a couple of weeks would be pretty cool,” Cerrone said during questioning (video via MMA Fighting).

Yet, from a rankings standpoint, the fight against Nurmagomedov makes the most MMA sense. Nurmagomedov is currently ranked No. 2 within the lightweight division, while Cerrone sits in the No. 4 spot. Gilbert Melendez recently competed for the title and was defeated, which would eliminate him as the only other man ranked above Cerrone to potentially face at this time.

The question is whether or not the UFC can convince “Cowboy” to wait on the sideline instead of trying to cash in more paydays. Nurmagomedov is currently out with a knee injury that he suffered back in June (via MMA Junkie). Recent reports have pushed his return back to February at the earliest (via MMA Fighting). That would mean that Cerrone would have to wait until potentially March or April for his next bout.

Nurmagomedov welcomed the idea of fighting Donald and took to Twitter to express the delight.

He even went further to suggest an exact event where the fight should occur.

Comparatively speaking, Cerrone versus Nurmagomedov would be a compelling stylistic fight. Cerrone has struggled in the past against men who can pressure him and score takedowns. His losses to Rafael dos Anjos and Benson Henderson can be used as examples as to how he has competed against men of a similar style. The question would be whether or not he can stay on his feet against Khabib‘s sambo and overwhelm him with his volume striking.

For Nurmagomedov, the tactics would be to take Cerrone down and control the contest. The status of the fight as a main or co-main event would play into this strategy, as it would be telling to see if Nurmagomedov can do it for 15 minutes as opposed to 25.

Cerrone would have the striking advantage, but Khabib‘s takedowns have been his main weapon since joining the UFC, and it should be expected for him to continue to lean on what has gotten him this far.

Donald Cerrone and Khabib Nurmagomedov are on a direct course to see who will eventually challenge for the lightweight title in 2015. The UFC should convince Cerrone to sit on the sideline for a few months and patiently wait for Nurmagomedov to return from injury.

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Donald Cerrone calls final strikes against Myles Jury ‘f**k you kicks’

Donald Cerrone was not all that pleased with how his fight went down and he wanted to let Myles Jury know how he felt.
So, with Jury on the ground in the closing seconds of the bout, an enraged Cerrone let loose. He wound up and kicked Jury …

Donald Cerrone was not all that pleased with how his fight went down and he wanted to let Myles Jury know how he felt.

So, with Jury on the ground in the closing seconds of the bout, an enraged Cerrone let loose. He wound up and kicked Jury to the legs and butt several times just about as hard as he could.

“The f*ck you kicks?” Cerrone said in the post-fight press conference. “Yeah. That’s what that was. I was either trying to kick and break my leg or his. I was very upset.”

Cerrone came away with a unanimous decision victory over Jury at UFC 182 on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The win gets him a step closer to a lightweight title shot and cemented his status as one of the very elite fighters on the planet at 155 pounds.

But “Cowboy” was not happy at all about how the fight went. When he steps into the Octagon, his foremost goal is to entertain and he felt like Jury didn’t let him do that. Cerrone controlled the entire fight, but it wasn’t one of his usual knock-down, drag-out brawls. Or a finish, either.

“I’m a guy, I don’t like hearing boos,” Cerrone said. “My legacy is I want to be fighting my ass off every time, so I don’t consider that a win. I’m not happy with my performance and I’m gonna go watch the tape and figure out what I need to do to capitalize if that happens again.”

Cerrone (26-6, 1 NC) was irked that Jury talked a bit before the fight and didn’t back it up with action. He was hoping for a war and ended up getting a plodding bout with little action. The only thing “Cowboy” could think of at the end was to punish Jury by, well, literally kicking his butt.

“At that point I was just tunnel vision, thinking murder,” Cerrone said. “That’s all I could think, just kick as hard as I could. That’s all I thought. I wasn’t [trying to please] fans. It was just f*ck you. That’s all I could think.”

Cerrone, who said he would love to come back and fight at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 14 in his home state of Colorado, had a unique warmup before his bout Saturday night. He brought in former UFC and current Titan FC fighter Pat Healy and the two sparred for three rounds before Cerrone’s went out. The hope was that it would improve Cerrone’s slow starts and it worked. Cerrone dominated the first round with precise ground work.

“We did about three rounds during the [Nate] Marquardt fight and pretty much fought and got ready,” Cerrone said. “So I was coming out round four ready to go. Trying to figure out what I can do to come out guns blazing. I felt solid. I had a great sweat, ready to go. I didn’t know someone was going to wear their Nikes and run the whole fight, so I was definitely upset.”

UFC president Dana White disagreed with Cerrone’s assessment of the fight. He felt that “Cowboy” was able to shut down a young and talented fighter in Jury. White said he believes Cerrone’s jiu-jitsu “blew Jury’s mind” in the first round and the rest of the fight he was tentative.

Cerrone wasn’t buying it.

“I apologize to everyone who was watching,” he said.

Following UFC 182, Hector Lombard vs. Rory MacDonald the Fight to Make

Hector Lombard has three wins as a UFC welterweight and has already put himself into a place to be considered a top contender within the weight class. He took a decision victory over Josh Burkman at UFC 182 to continue his current run. With this win, i…

Hector Lombard has three wins as a UFC welterweight and has already put himself into a place to be considered a top contender within the weight class. He took a decision victory over Josh Burkman at UFC 182 to continue his current run. With this win, it seems like he is on a direct course to face off against Rory MacDonald in a title eliminator in the near future.

Lombard currently sits ranked No. 6 among UFC welterweights. Matt Brown is coming off of a loss, while Tyron Woodley and MacDonald are the only two winners who are currently available above him. MacDonald was at one time pegged as the next man to fight for the welterweight title before having that position stripped from him in favor of a trilogy bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler (via MMA Junkie).

That availability would create the perfect opportunity to get Lombard and MacDonald together to determine a true contender. Lombard mentioned MacDonald by name during the post-fight press conference, and Dana White did not refute the potential matchup.

“Rory makes the most sense for me,” Lombard said. “He’s not going to fight for the title, so that makes sense.” To which White said, “I think he’s right. He could fight Tyron Woodley, Brown, Rory, any of those guys. We will see what happens” (video via MMA Fighting).

As mentioned, Brown is coming off of a loss, and the UFC tends to pair opponents based on their current performances, which could take him out of this equation. Woodley, who is a teammate of Lombard’s, has already been the topic of consideration as an opponent for Lombard. It was actually a major talking point within 2014 that the fight did not happen.

“Everybody wants the fight except Woodley,” said Dana White as reported by Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “He’s made it pretty clear he does not want to fight Hector Lombard.”

If Woodley is as adamant against the fight as White has stated, that leaves only MacDonald as the next opponent in line for the former Olympic Judoka. The UFC could book this bout to occur on the same card as the Hendricks-Lawler rematch to give the event some added security against injuries.

An early preview of a potential MacDonald versus Lombard fight raises some interesting questions. For example, MacDonald has been known to stifle opponents with a steady jab, which throws their game off. This is especially effective against aggressive fighters as it was against both Woodley and Jake Ellenberger. Lombard would have to find a way through this jab and inside if he was to deal with Rory’s ability to fight from range.

If Lombard was to get inside, would Rory be able to deal with Hector’s high-level judo? He’s been taken down before by men such as Demian Maia, and being under Lombard for an extended period of time would be detrimental in any view.

Both men have the ability to win this fight, which would make them a clear favorite to fight for the belt at some point in 2015.

The UFC should book Rory MacDonald against Hector Lombard to see which man will emerge as the next top contender for the 170-pound title. While they are not the most talkative of fighters, they are interesting athletes and dynamic fighters that are at the top of the division, at the right time to make this fight.

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Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier: What Went Wrong for the Challenger at UFC 182

Daniel Cormier was clearly a tough opponent for Jon Jones.
After 25 minutes of action, the former Olympian gave the champion all that he could handle but was unable to walk out of the Octagon with a victory. Looking back, there were a few different poi…

Daniel Cormier was clearly a tough opponent for Jon Jones.

After 25 minutes of action, the former Olympian gave the champion all that he could handle but was unable to walk out of the Octagon with a victory. Looking back, there were a few different points in the fight that went wrong for Cormier in his first shot at UFC gold.

First and foremost, the reach advantage that Jones had over Cormier played a massive role. According to FightMetric, Jones boasted a 12″ reach advantage (84″ for Jones versus 72″ for Cormier). Jones used that throughout the fight, employing long-range striking with jabs and straights as well as kicks to the thigh and body in order to keep the challenger away.

Tabulations at the end of the fight showed that Jones landed 126 of 215 strikes, while Cormier landed 78 of 191 (via FightMetric). Interestingly enough, many of these strikes landed were counters that Jones was able to hit while backing away from his opponent. His ability to do so from range gave him the space needed to be able to counter the aggressive Cormier so effectively.

Pacing may have played a part in a lack of momentum for the challenger. Cormier admittedly took the fourth round “off” and was not as active as he potentially could be.

“Fourth round, I took it off,” Cormier mentioned during the post-fight press conference. “He won that round going away. In the fifth round, I don’t think either one of us did much at all. We just kinda hugged each other” (video per MMAFighting.com).

Looking again at the FightMetric totals, Cormier is reported to have landed only three of 16 significant shots during the fourth stanza of the light heavyweight contest. On the other hand, Jones landed 16 of his 27 significant strikes in that same time period. That momentum rolled into the fifth round as Cormier continued to have a low output of strikes to finish the fight.

Wrestling was to be Cormier‘s greatest strength coming into this fight, but Jones was able to get the better of his foe in that aspect of MMA, too. This is interesting because it has been stated that a snark comment from Jones about wrestling started this whole ordeal.

Dave Doyle of MMAFighting.com wrote a piece that chronicles the conversation that occurred between Jones and Cormier years ago.

“I bet you that I could take you down,” Jones reportedly said to Cormier when they met for the first time. That moment would be the catalyst that would lead to the main event bout of UFC 182. Jones proved his point, taking Cormier down multiple times during their fight.

Jones landed three of five takedown attempts, many of which came at critical points late in the fight. Cormier was only able to get the champion down to the ground once out of his eight attempts (via FightMetric). Much of Jones’ defense seemed to come from his length and his ability to stay away from his opponent’s attempt to transition a single leg into trip takedowns.

“He felt a little bigger in the cage than he looks normally,” Cormier said during the post-fight press conference. “He hangs on you, and when he starts to hang on you, it can zap you in the fight” (video via MMAFighting.com).

While Cormier was defeated by Jones, he was the tough test that many played him up to be coming into the fight. Still, he was unable to do enough to become the 205-pound champion, being just another name added to Jones’ impressive MMA resume.

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Jon Jones still doesn’t respect Daniel Cormier: ‘I hope he’s somewhere crying right now’

Jon Jones didn’t care for Daniel Cormier before UFC 182. And nothing has changed for the UFC light heavyweight champion afterward.

“I don’t like Daniel Cormier,” Jones said Saturday night on FOX Sports 1. “I don’t respect Daniel Cormier. I hope he’s somewhere crying right now. I’m sure he is. I can’t wait until he earns his way back, so I can whoop him again.”

If you thought Jones and Cormier would hug and let bygones be bygones after the fight, well, you were sadly mistaken. There is still no love lost between the two.

Cormier might have pushed Jones hard for three rounds and landed several hard punches to Jones’ face in Jones’ unanimous decision victory at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But none of those things have changed how Jones feels about the man.

Jones didn’t just set out to beat Cormier on Saturday night. He wanted to defeat him at his own game: wrestling. And he succeeded.

“I outgrinded him,” Jones said. “I held him against the cage. He could not get off the cage. He could have got off the cage, but I wanted to prove he’s not the king of the grind. It wasn’t a pretty fight. It wasn’t a technically sexy fight. But I proved that he wasn’t the kind of the grind tonight, I was the king of the grind.”

Within many of the barbs fired each way before the fight, Jones made the point that Cormier was known for breaking mentally during his wrestling career. The champion set out to do that in the Octagon. Jones turned up the intensity in the fourth and fifth rounds and Cormier was unable to rise to the occasion after winning the second round and putting forth a very good effort in the third. Jones said it was “my version of the rope-a-dope.”

“I just knew once the cardio started to become a factor, he was going to look for a way out,” Jones said.

The two did touch gloves before the fight started. But there was no hug afterward. Actually Jones began celebrating before the bell rang in the fifth round and then threw two more punches when Cormier seemed to have his guard down. Cormier then followed up with punches of his own as the bell sounded. One of them nearly hit referee Herb Dean, who was trying to break up the action. Then Jones made an obscene gesture toward Cormier.

“After the bell rang, he snuck in two punches,” Jones said. “I don’t think any of them hit me. He almost hit Herb Dean. That’s why I gave him the ‘suck it’ sign, because he tried to hit me after the bell.”

Jones apologized for being “classless” in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. But in the post-fight press conference, Jones was considerably less remorseful.

“I know if he would have won, he would have been up here talking all types of trash,” Jones said. “So I don’t feel sorry for him. This is combat.”

Jon Jones didn’t care for Daniel Cormier before UFC 182. And nothing has changed for the UFC light heavyweight champion afterward.

“I don’t like Daniel Cormier,” Jones said Saturday night on FOX Sports 1. “I don’t respect Daniel Cormier. I hope he’s somewhere crying right now. I’m sure he is. I can’t wait until he earns his way back, so I can whoop him again.”

If you thought Jones and Cormier would hug and let bygones be bygones after the fight, well, you were sadly mistaken. There is still no love lost between the two.

Cormier might have pushed Jones hard for three rounds and landed several hard punches to Jones’ face in Jones’ unanimous decision victory at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But none of those things have changed how Jones feels about the man.

Jones didn’t just set out to beat Cormier on Saturday night. He wanted to defeat him at his own game: wrestling. And he succeeded.

“I outgrinded him,” Jones said. “I held him against the cage. He could not get off the cage. He could have got off the cage, but I wanted to prove he’s not the king of the grind. It wasn’t a pretty fight. It wasn’t a technically sexy fight. But I proved that he wasn’t the kind of the grind tonight, I was the king of the grind.”

Within many of the barbs fired each way before the fight, Jones made the point that Cormier was known for breaking mentally during his wrestling career. The champion set out to do that in the Octagon. Jones turned up the intensity in the fourth and fifth rounds and Cormier was unable to rise to the occasion after winning the second round and putting forth a very good effort in the third. Jones said it was “my version of the rope-a-dope.”

“I just knew once the cardio started to become a factor, he was going to look for a way out,” Jones said.

The two did touch gloves before the fight started. But there was no hug afterward. Actually Jones began celebrating before the bell rang in the fifth round and then threw two more punches when Cormier seemed to have his guard down. Cormier then followed up with punches of his own as the bell sounded. One of them nearly hit referee Herb Dean, who was trying to break up the action. Then Jones made an obscene gesture toward Cormier.

“After the bell rang, he snuck in two punches,” Jones said. “I don’t think any of them hit me. He almost hit Herb Dean. That’s why I gave him the ‘suck it’ sign, because he tried to hit me after the bell.”

Jones apologized for being “classless” in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. But in the post-fight press conference, Jones was considerably less remorseful.

“I know if he would have won, he would have been up here talking all types of trash,” Jones said. “So I don’t feel sorry for him. This is combat.”

Jon Jones Should Not Feel Bad for Being ‘Classless’ in Win over Cormier

On Saturday night, Jon Jones used UFC 182 to stake a claim that he may be one of the best athletes to ever compete in mixed martial arts. He took a victory over Daniel Cormier in the main event, as the judges awarded him four of the five rounds.
One of…

On Saturday night, Jon Jones used UFC 182 to stake a claim that he may be one of the best athletes to ever compete in mixed martial arts. He took a victory over Daniel Cormier in the main event, as the judges awarded him four of the five rounds.

One of the interesting talking points coming out of the bout was Jones’ own words where he labeled himself “classless” during the post-fight interview. However, after looking at his place in the sport, the perception of the fans and its impact on his career, Jones should not apologize for his actions in any form.

Immediately after the final buzzer at UFC 182, Jones made a derogatory hand gesture toward Cormier that earned the boos of the fans watching.

“I’m sorry for being classless,” Jones said to Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview. “I do not like DC, that is why I’m being this way.”

It looked as though the bad blood between Jones and Cormier was going to continue after the bell, as both men looked like they were going to throw punches after the last round, which led to Jones making the motion.

“After the bell rang, he snuck in a few punches.” Jones mentioned during the post-fight press conference, courtesy of MMA Fighting. “I don’t think any of them hit me. I think he almost hit Herb Dean. That’s why I gave him the ‘suck it’ sign, because he tried to hit me after the bell.”

This situation will not help Jones’ perception with the fans. He has long been the topic of fan hatred since winning the belt back in 2011. Everything from his legal issues to his usage of social media and frequent religious quoting has earned the ire of MMA fans. He should expect to receive more angry tweets after his antics on Saturday.

Nevertheless, he should not apologize for his actions on Saturday.

Mixed martial arts has had its fair share of contrived rivalries between top athletes. After weeks to months of promotion, fighters will often leave their differences in the cage and get over their anger toward each other. The feud between Jones and Rashad Evans stands as an example in which both men seemed to hate each other before the fight but have gotten over their animosity.

Jones confirmed as much during an interview with Ariel Helwani on Fox Sports. “I saw Rashad, and I honestly missed him. It was weird. I just missed him. The guy was definitely like a role model in a way when I first started off, and I’ll always remember looking up to him. Even though we fought, it is so long in the past now, and I legitimately missed him.”

Do not expect Jones to make such a statement about Daniel Cormier, and that will benefit Jones’ career in the long run. The rivalry between Cormier and Jones had years of buildup and multiple instances of outright disrespect by both men. When emotions get to such a point, it is difficult to turn those feelings off, even after the battle being finished.

Jones’ worth to the organization has the potential to flourish by his playing up those emotions and the anger that comes from the fans for his success.

He has not always been a major pay-per-view draw, but UFC 182 is being perceived as a success for the promotion. Before the event, UFC President Dana White predicted the show would hit 750,000 buys, via MMA Fighting. Yet, during the post-fight press conference, he said the fight did “more than 750 buys” when asked about buyrate expectations, per MMA Fighting.

This may mean that a hated Jones against a well-liked foil will mean bigger paydays for the champion and promotion as a whole. Alexander Gustafsson stands as a potential fighter who would play that role well if he can get by Anthony Johnson, which would set up a rematch to their 2013 spectacle.

Gustafsson is a fan favorite, and if Jones continues down this path of being hated by the fans, the promotion of this bout could lead to similar, big-night events for the UFC. That result would benefit both the promotion and the fighter.

The first fight between Jones and Gustafsson was already enough to make a potential rematch worth watching. Building Jon up as the willing villain with Gustafsson as the opposing hero would add even more strength to the pre-fight hype.

Jones did not win over any fans in MMA with his performance against Cormier. He is at a “point of no return” when it comes to being considered a heel within the sport. He should not apologize for being himself and embrace this position for the long term.

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